Drugs experts call for government backing to stop the spread of h...( cumstances of injecting made obtaining ...),Health

Dr. Rhodes added: "Needle and syringe sharing may often go under-reported. Some people are reluctant to discuss sharing given a belief that to do so is to admit to risk and the resulting possibility of blame or shame. With current national drug polices focused on crime and lacking an emphasis on health, there is an urgent need to renew our commitment to health education, especially among injecting drug users. This study shows that younger injectors in particular are at risk of HCV and should be targeted by HCV prevention campaigns."

For the study the researchers conducted interviews with 59 injecting drug users who had injected, most commonly heroin, in the previous four weeks. They aimed to recruit people with an injecting history of six years or less, and no more than half the group infected with HCV. Dr Rhodes and his team are experts in conducting qualitative studies of injecting drug use in the UK, Russia, and advise a number of international bodies including the WHO and UNAIDS.

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Contact: Tony Stephenson
at.stephenson@imperial.ac.uk
44-20-7594-6712
Imperial College London
28-Apr-2004